Redhead for a Day
by Mists
Summary: George is pulling his first prank since Fred's death. And it's on, Harry Potter. Will this day be a blessing or a curse? Canon compliant, takes place a year after the final battle. Some R/Hr and H/G. Trio and Ron and Harry friendship. Drama and humor too!
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

Disclaimer: Hello everyone! Here's my new three part story and yes all three parts are already written. I'll be putting them a week or less apart. This is going to be a fun one. As usual, I own nothing. This takes place after DH and can be considered canon.

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><p><strong>-Redhead for a Day-<strong>

**By: Mists**

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><p><strong>-Be Careful What You Wish For-<strong>

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><p>-George's POV-<p>

It was July 30th, 1999, a little over a year since the Battle of Hogwarts and George was finally ready to move on. It had been a long, hard road to get to this point. At the beginning, George just stayed in bed. He couldn't even move. His family would come see him, and all he felt was numb. It took the actions of Lee Jordan and his brother Ron, quite literally lighting a firecracker under his arse to get him to care about anything at all.

Luckily when he came to his senses three months later; he still had a shop to come back to. Ron had been running it in his absence.

George gave a small smile as he thought of how his little brother's continuous annoying presence had helped to speed up the process, even before drastic measures were taken.

He owed Ron a great deal.

Which was why George had decided to spare him the _honor_ of being his first prank victim since the death of his twin.

George's trickster spirit had been ignited anew when he found out that Harry and Ginny were starting to date again.

Now, let it be known, that George labored over his choice for a long time. At first, he was going to go after Percy. It just seemed fitting. Fred would definitely approve, and it would show Percy that he would always be George's favorite target.

But when he heard about the newly rekindled relationship, well….

Let's just say Harry overstepped the lines of an unspoken, unknown contract he had with Fred and George.

When Harry first befriended Ron, the twins had agreed not to prank Harry, because he already had enough crap going on in his life. The fact that he gave the twins the money start their shop, factored in as well. It was a gift that the two didn't take lightly. So it was agreed that they would never, ever prank Harry unless he crossed the one line that they couldn't over look, dating Ginny.

Once Harry did that, all bets were off. He was officially one of the family and was obligated to feel the wrath of protective brothers, at least once. This never came to pass the first time around; though Fred and George had started plotting the moment they heard.

It was now George's time to take up the torch once again, to fill people's lives with terror and joy!

His first solo prank would be on the Savior of the Wizarding World, The-Boy-Who-Lived.

George and the other Weasleys had long known that Harry loved being a part of their family and that all he wanted was to be a normal, average person.

And tomorrow, Harry's birthday, he was going to get _exactly_ that.

George let out an evil laugh as his potion cauldron glowed bright orange and smoke burst forth in an awesome display of chaotic magic.

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><p>-Ron's POV-<p>

"_Sweet mercifully Saturday, how I love thee,"_ thought Ron as he let loose a loud, stretching yawn to greet the day.

"Hmmm, huh," grunted Harry irritably from the foldout cot next to him. Since the final battle, Ron and Harry decided to stay at the Burrow. The excuse they gave to everyone was that they wanted to save up money for a flat of their own. But in truth, the two really just wanted to spend time with their family. Arthur and Molly craved a family presence more than ever, since Fred died. And Harry and Ron were more than happy to oblige, because secretly they needed it too.

Harry was still staying in Ron's room because he didn't feel right sleeping in Fred and George's old one anymore.

Ron didn't mind though, it was nice waking up to see Harry alive and well every morning. It was his constant reminder that the war was over.

With a smile, Ron looked over at the clock.

"Man, it's already 9 o'clock," laughed Ron at the irony. When he was at Hogwarts, 9 a.m. would have been up with the chickens for him. But ever since Ron joined the Auror Program, after George took back the reins of the shop, he and Harry had to wake up at 4:45 every morning for training. 9 a.m. now felt like an all day rest to him. Even on days he didn't have to wake up, Ron still got up early.

It was _so_ wrong. But the funniest thing about the whole situation was that it had the exact opposite affect on Harry. His mate always woke up later than him now. Some Saturdays he'd even sleep until 3 in the afternoon. Ron teased him to no end for it.

"Oi! Wake up, sleepy head," called Ron joyfully as he started shaking Harry awake.

Grumbling, Harry just turned away from him. Ron chuckled as Pig sprung from his cage and decided to join in the fun, too.

From beneath the blanket, a messy black haired creature arose. He set his squinting green-eyed glare upon the two perky intruders.

Both Ron and Pig were not impressed. Pig flew down and started pecking at Harry's ear.

"Good morning, Harry," said Ron cheerfully, "and Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you," he growled at the duo, "now since it's my day, let me sleep."

"But Harry! We have so much to do today! Just in Diagon Alley alone! Like pigging out on ice-cream, checking out all the new Quidditch equipment, getting shitfaced at the Leaky Cauldron-"

"Don't hold your breath about that last one, Ron. I really don't want my face in the paper again like that," muttered Harry, remembering last year when Ron took him to the Three Broomsticks.

"Oh come on, that lamp shade was a good color on you. Besides I have no idea what Mundungus was doing with that many chickens anyway," replied Ron causally as he recalled Harry's infamous 18th year Birthday Bash. They really didn't get _that_ drunk, it was actually tipsy at best. Hell even _Hermione _came with them, and she'd never let it get out of hand. Seamus put the Muggle lamp shade on Harry's head as a joke, and Neville's plant present somehow spooked Dung's chickens in the backroom. Of course, the _Daily Prophet _blew the whole thing out of proportion; making Harry look like a drunken hellion. But hey, whatcha gonna to do?

"No, Ron. You and I are Aurors now. We can't chance that the paper may diss the Ministry because we wanted to have a little fun," huffed Harry as he plopped his head back down into the pillow.

"Oh come on, Harry," sighed Ron as he rolled his eyes. "You can't let the paper and the opinions of others rule your entire life. Live a little will, yah?"

"Ron, you know that I would give anything to have just one normal day to do whatever I wanted and not have to be damn symbol for anyone," growled Harry as he angrily snatched his glasses from the nightstand.

"Yes, I do," said Ron sadly and decided to let it drop. He had learned long ago that he'd never win this fight with Harry.

"Anyway," mentioned Ron, clearly trying to change the subject, "I'm going get some breakfast, you coming?"

"I guess," Harry sighed as he inched his way out of bed. "But I think I'll take a shower first."

"Kay," replied Ron with a shrug as he turned to leave. "Don't worry about it, Harry. We'll find a way to make the day fun," and with that Ron trampled down the stairs to see if his Mum could make Harry's favorite tart to cheer him up.

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><p>-Harry's POV-<p>

"_So much for the restful birthday morning,"_ thought Harry with a roll of his eyes. He swore Ron's new early morning syndrome was just his way at getting back at Harry for all those Saturdays he woke up Ron at school.

As he stretched out his stiff body, Pig stopped flying around the room and landed on Harry's head.

He snorted at the little bird that looked down on him with big yellow eyes.

"The Bluebird of Happiness, you are most certainly _not, _Pig," teased Harry as the tiny owl just blinked at him.

"All right, you," said Harry as he gently plucked the bird from his head. "I'm up, go bring me some birthday presents, okay?"

Pig puffed out his little chest and zipped out the window to go do his job.

With a tired sigh, Harry made his way to the bathroom. This was not going to be one of his better birthdays. Not that he had many good ones mind you, but the thing that was giving him the most sorrow was that he wouldn't see Ginny the whole day. It was tryouts week for the Holyhead Harpies. For the first time in four years, the team had a spot open and Ginny Weasley was not going to miss this chance. It was a seven day long trial that ended on Sunday. Only the best overall player would get the coveted spot.

As much as it pained Ginny to miss Harry's day, she couldn't let this opportunity slip by. Harry, being the loving boyfriend that he was, supported her decision fully.

But that didn't mean that he won't still miss her. They really hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time together since Harry started the Ministry's Auror Program right after the end of last summer. Kingsley had shown up at the Burrow's doorstep and asked Harry to once again join the good fight.

Harry couldn't refuse.

It was quite lonely in the program, until Ron decided to join. Everyone either looked at him in awe or bugged him incessantly trying to befriend the great Harry Potter. It was maddening. Ron had no idea how lucky he was to not have the world judge you before they even knew you.

On that thought, Harry steeled himself for another birthday filled with shallow well wishers and meaningless gifts of gratitude. Wooo-who.

He roughly tore off his shirt and started the shower. The shampoo bottle had been left on the sink for some reason. Harry didn't even notice as he quickly grabbed it and jumped in.

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><p>-Ron's POV-<p>

Meanwhile, Ron had found at an unexpected visitor had decided to join the family for breakfast.

"Just what are _you_ doing here so early?" asked Ron suspiciously as he eyed George sitting oh so innocently at the kitchen table.

"He was here before me," stated Percy while checking on the tea kettle. "I find that _very odd_ for you, George."

"Can't a son, come visit his loving family whenever he wants?" asked the innocent man, clutching his chest in pain.

Ron's eyes narrowed as he looked quickly to Percy, who was pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Of course, you can!" Mum exclaimed as she put her cooking pan down and went over to give George a hug. "I love seeing you. In fact you should come over more often-"

Dad nodded along with what Mum was saying as Percy returned Ron's gaze. The question that resided in his face was _"Could this be it?"_

Percy and Ron had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. George had that spark back in his eyes, the one that said, _"I know something, you don't know."_ It was the one he and Fred had every time they played a trick. That light had been gone from George's eyes for far too long.

Today, while a bit subdue, it was there. George Weasley was plotting something, and _Merlin_ was it great! For the last few months, Ron had been pulling little pranks on George to see if he could get a rise out of him.

"Looks like you've lost your touch, Georgie. I think there's a new Prankster King in town!" was Ron's merry boast that nearly killed him to say. His brother needed the mocking though, the Weasley temper was the only way to cut through his angst filled funk. If he incurred the wrath of George, so be it, as long as he got his brother back.

Percy was also in on this plan. Though his approach was a bit different, if Ron was the instigator, Percy would be the bright shiny red target. He would stop by the shop and talk for _hours_ about what he was doing at the Ministry, how he was climbing the proverbial ranks, and that shouldn't George get a _real job. _In short, he was purposely being as pompous as he could be to get his brother to prank his arse off.

Though, despite all their efforts, George's anger would fizzle out and nothing would happen. But today, something was different today. A silent agreement passed between Ron and Percy's eyes that whichever of them was the target; they would play up their angry reaction for all it was worth.

With a short nod, Percy went back to sipping his tea and Ron sat down suspiciously at the table. He gave George another glare for good measure and then cleared his throat.

"Hey, Mum? Harry's kind of in the dumps this morning. Could you make that tart he likes so much?" asked Ron, grabbing his mother's attention from George.

"Oh sweetheart, you're so considerate. Of course, I will!" she replied and started to pull out the ingredients needed.

George and Percy gagged at Ron being called _considerate, _but he ignored the idiots.

His mum continued, not noticing his brothers' reactions, "I was going to make it for his dinner tonight, but I could start it now."

"That'd be great. Thanks, Mum."

"Why is Harry in a bad mood, Ron? Today is his birthday after all," asked his dad as he put down the morning newspaper.

"That's precisely why he's grumpy. He's recalling what happened last year at Broomsticks," muttered Ron while he grabbed some bacon off of the plate in the middle of the table.

The others grunted at that, remembering just how far the _Daily Prophet_ went with that story.

"Harry shouldn't let the paper get to him like that," said Percy as he took his seat next to Ron.

"That's what I said, but you know-"

"_**GAAAHHHH!"**_

Immediately the entire Weasley family was on their feet, racing to where they heard Harry's horrified yell.

All but George had their wands drawn ready to strike at whatever was after Harry.

"HARRY! Harry, where are you!" bellowed Ron as he thundered up the stairs.

"_What the hell could have made Harry scream like that?"_ thought Ron as he took the led.

"I-In here!" replied a croaking Harry as the door to the bathroom opened to reveal a very shocked looking stranger. This caused Ron to instantly curse the man with a binding hex to the floor.

"Who are you? And where's Har-" but Ron stopped mid-roar to the sound of George laughing his arse off.

Everyone turned to George in shock as he gasped out, "T-That is Harry! Happy Birthday, mate!"

Ron looked back to the prone form of the red-haired, blue-eyed man lying on the floor. The guy had no lightning bolt scar on his head, but while his hair was Weasley red, it was still messy like Harry's. Ron knelt down to get a good look at the fuming man. After closely examining his features, oh yeah it was really him.

"Oops, sorry Harry," chuckled Ron as a smile started to stretch across his face. Percy's laughter suddenly joined George's.

"Dear Merlin, thank you! For once it wasn't me!" exclaimed Percy as George roared anew.

"Oh you almost were, trust me!"

It was then that understanding fluttered across Harry's features and he looked thoughtful.

"_Oh shit! Harry, don't show him sympathy! We'll be back to square one!" _thought Ron frantically as he leaned down close and whispered in Harry's ear.

"Mate, don't you dare! When I release you, you'd better go 5th year on his arse or I swear I will hex you into next week!"

Harry raised his eyebrow in question, but when the answer hit him, his face hardened with resolve.

"Good," whispered Ron as he released the now livid redhead.

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><p>-Harry's POV-<p>

So Ron wanted normal Harry pissed off beyond belief? Very well, he had no problem fulfilling that request. Oh, George was going to get it!

"GEORGE WEASLEY! YOUR ARSE IS MINE!" roared The-Boy-Who- Lived as he grabbed his wand and ran after George down the stairs. Harry chased the idiot throughout the Burrow hexing him all the way. Not that many curses hit, because apparently whatever George did to him, didn't improve his eyesight.

"So the great hero can't hit a moving target, huh?" jeered George as he took cover behind the living room sofa.

"OI! You are so dead!" exclaimed Harry as he cast Accio to get his glasses from the upstairs bathroom.

"Oh no you don't," cackled George as he caught the flying specs with his own spell as they zipped down the stairs.

This started a session of magical tug of war that lasted until both combatants nearly passed out.

It took Mr. Weasley intervening to finally wrap up the feud.

Both out of breath, George and Harry plopped back down into the kitchen chairs and started to eat their very late breakfast.

"Thanks for the tart Mrs. Weasley, it was really delicious," said Harry politely he adjusted his newly retrieved glasses. The thoughtful treat had cheered him up.

"No problem, dear. But you and George have to fix all the damage you caused, okay? And call me Molly, remember," she replied as Harry blushed at her.

"Sorry about that."

"Yeah, who knew that you had the temper of a redhead?" joked George while the others groaned.

"Speaking of red hair, you've had your fun George. Now will you kindly change it back?"

"No can do Harry," he replied while patting Harry on the back.

"What?" squeaked Harry, thinking he was going to be sick.

"You're stuck like this for the whole day!" laughed George as he ducked a swipe from Harry.

"George, come on. It's his birthday, give him a break," said Percy, who had clearly had enough of this game.

"Couldn't if I wanted to, Perce. This is a new potion I've been developing for the Auror Department. I call it, 'U-Not-You.' It's meant to be a disguise potion that can be applied directly to the scalp. It works a little like Polyjuice potion, except it only makes minor changes to your appearance, not transform you into a copy of a real person."

"But isn't that what glamor and transfiguration spells are for?" asked Ron as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes, but those can be removed rather easily if you know the right spell. These changes can't be taken off or even detected by any magical means until the time limit is up. Trust me; I did a lot of testing."

The other Weasleys looked at one another worriedly, "Isn't that kind of dangerous, dear? Especially if it fell into the wrong hands," stated Molly as she took a seat next to her husband.

"Don't worry, Mum. I'm only selling it to Aurors. You've got to have the right credentials and I'll only brew it per order. The bottles are cursed so that if anyone who isn't the person it was made for tries to open it, the potion will become regular shampoo again. We-_ I… _learned my lesson after that stupid Peruvian Darkness powder incident."

Harry saw Ron shiver at being reminded of when Draco used it during 6th year.

"Fair enough," said Harry as he let out a sigh, "so how long am I stuck like this?"

"Why the whole day, of course!" exclaimed George.

"The…the whole _day?_ George! Come on! I have plans today. Ron and I are meeting Hermione in Diagon Alley in an hour! I can't go out like this," huffed Harry as he motioned to his altered form.

"And why not?" George happily asked. "Isn't this what you wanted for your birthday?"

With a flick of his wand, George transfigured Harry's glasses frames from their familiar shape into rectangles.

"_**WHAT?**_ How can you possibly think that I would ever want to-_**"**_

"Oh my god! That's _brilliant, _George!" interrupted Ron before Harry could get into his rant.

"Well of course it is. I thought of it didn't, I?" laughed George as Harry looked at the two confused.

"Though I have to say…" quipped Ron. "Harry looks disturbingly like a short clone of Percy."

George then turned to Harry and squinted at him.

"Ugghh… You're right. That is creepy."

"I'm standing right here you know!" Percy huffed in annoyance. "And what's wrong with looking like me?"

"Still not getting this, guys," grumbled Harry. He really didn't want to look like _Percy_ for a day.

"Don't you see, Harry? This is what you wanted!" said Ron as he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet.

"If you go out like this, no one except Hermione and I will know who you are! We can say that 'Harry' had to work at the Ministry today and you're my cousin visiting from well… Ireland or something. Trust me, they won't question that. No one will bug you. We can do whatever we want with no reporters breathing down our necks!"

Harry's jaw dropped in shock. Ron was right, this _was_ awesome!

"Thank you, George! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" exclaimed Harry as he shook George's hand and raced out of the room.

"I'm going to get changed! We've got a day to enjoy!" the young man yelled as he looked forward to a whole day of being a normal person.

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><p>TO BE CONTINUED….<p>

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><p>Author's Notes: Hope you like the start of this new story. The next chapter will be out in a few days. So please read and review!<p> 


	2. Not What I Expected

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I have no money, so don't sue! Hope you all like it.

Now on with the story.

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><p><strong>-Not What I Expected-<strong>

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><p>-Harry's POV-<p>

"And I shall call you, Mini-Prat!" laughed Ron as Harry scowled at him.

"Will you stop that! I do not look like Percy."

"Oh, yes you do!"

Harry just rolled his eyes and checked his reflection in the window of Gringotts.

It was weird seeing himself look so different, yet the same. He ran his fingers through his messy red hair. The major alterations were the color of his hair and eyes, though his skin seemed a few shades lighter as well. His scar was gone and his glasses were now rectangular. Overall his features were exactly the same, but he could actually pass as a Weasley now. It was…strange, yet nice at the same time.

But he most _definitely _didn't look like Percy.

"So what's taking Hermione so long?" asked Harry, trying to change the subject. Hermione had been staying with her family ever since the trio brought them back from Australia. Ron had been a little sad about being apart, but he completely understood. She had given up so much to keep her family safe. Hermione deserved her time with them.

It had been hard for Harry as well. Hermione was like his sister. Most of his life, she had been right by his side guiding and protecting him. But she had her own life to lead and they couldn't be together 24/7 like they used to at school. Though since she started working at the Ministry, things had gotten better. Harry and Ron would meet her for lunch most days and spend the weekends on double dates.

As if on cue, a blur of wild brown hair flew towards them, "Ron! Oh I'm sorry I'm late."

Ron smiled at his girlfriend and swooped her up into a hug and a kiss.

"No worries, love," he said as ran a hand through her hair.

"Crookshanks was being quite rude about taking his bath… Oh, hello there Percy. Did you get new glasses?" asked Hermione as she caught sight of Harry, out of the corner of her eye.

This sent Ron into spasms of laughter while Harry gave her an indignant glare.

"Told you so!" Ron howled as Harry smacked him upside the head.

"Shut it, tosser!"

"Oh my! I'm sorry,"said Hermione as she got a better look at the stranger. "For a second I thought…."

As she trailed off, her eyes widened in realization.

"H-Harry! What- who!" she exclaimed becoming frazzled.

Luckily Ron intervened before Harry's cover was blown, "Yeah Hermione, you remember cousin Harry from Bill's wedding. His family lives in Ireland."

"Oh! Yes, of course I do. It's wonderful to see you again," Hermione said politely as she encircled him in a hug.

"You _are _going to explain this," Hermione whispered menacingly in his ear as she pulled away.

Harry gulped and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

He so didn't need a vengeful Granger today.

"Yeah, he's visiting for a while," continued Ron conversationally. "Poor Potter had to work today though, shame that he can't spend his birthday with us."

Harry nodded his head solemnly, hoping that if anyone overheard, the word would travel fast.

"Indeed. Well why don't we go to Flourish & Blotts to start, shall we?" Hermione asked as she led the way to the bookstore.

A quiet place was quickly found in the back as Hermione whirled around and demanded, "Explain."

The two boys then went over the events that had transpired at the Burrow that morning.

At the end, Hermione just stared at them and said, "I don't know whether I should hex George or praise him."

Harry and Ron laughed at her, "Yeah that was our reaction, too."

"Well," sighed Hermione as she grabbed her boys by the arms, "it doesn't matter. We have a birthday to celebrate! Let's go!"

And with that, the three went about shopping in Diagon Alley.

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><p>Harry felt like he was on top of the world. In Flourish &amp; Blotts, they found all kinds of funny and interesting books. After that the three went over to the Quidditch store. No one was staring at him or whispering behind his back. He was just some guy, checking out the latest training Snitches available.<p>

It was then that Harry gasped and quickly zipped to the front of the store. For there in the window, he stared drooling at the new 'Firebolt _Elite_.' A very unmanly squeak erupted from Harry as he quickly ran to find Ron.

At the back of the fourth aisle, Harry finally found him. Both he and Hermione had a few people crowded around them.

"It's such a shame that they didn't let Harry off on his birthday," said an old woman sadly.

"Yeah, I really would have liked to meet him," said the little boy she was holding. "But it was really great to meet you two!"

"No problem little guy," laughed Ron as he and Hermione waved goodbye.

"We'll tell him you wished him well," added Hermione sweetly.

Harry just grinned as the two strangers walked by him without even a second glance.

"Well aren't you two special?" he quipped cheekily as he wrapped an arm around Ron's shoulders.

"Oi, bugger off you," replied Ron as he swatted his arm away.

"But I want an autograph, too…" pouted Harry.

Hermione just sighed, rolling her eyes, "They didn't want an autograph. The boy just wanted to say hello."

"Yeah, he was a nice little bloke. You know, not every person is a twat that wants something from you, mate," Ron commented as they made their way to the front of the store.

"Well I, for one, am quite happy to enjoy a full day with my friends without being seen as a walking attraction," Harry said with a satisfied air. "Come on, I found the new Firebolt model and it is amazing!"

And so Harry dragged Ron to the display with a big smile on his face. Ron for once got the spotlight he always wanted and Harry got to sit back and laugh.

It was perfect.

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><p>Three hours later, the luster of a perfect day had tarnished and Harry was beginning to reconsider his opinion. Everywhere the trio went, Ron and Hermione were practically mobbed. People would come up to them, no matter what they were doing and ask the two this or that. Harry was practically shoved out of the way so that others could get near his friends. No matter where they went, someone always seemed to want a picture or express their thanks to the two.<p>

And Harry…well Harry would be left in the dust. He spent most of the day waiting around for his friends to be free. Merlin, he felt invisible.

"_But that's what you wanted, right?" _thought Harry bitterly as he leaned back against a brick wall. _"It's almost like I'm back with my Aunt and Uncle. Can't those people see I'm here, too? A simple acknowledgement of existence would be nice."_

After a few minutes, Ron and Hermione were able to disentangle themselves from the crowd and make their way over to Harry.

"About time, can we get going now?" he groused, stomping off down the street.

Behind his back, he could tell Ron and Hermione shared a look as they quickly caught up to him.

"Harry, you know quite well that there's nothing we can do about them," admonished Hermione as she looked down at her watch.

"Yeah mate, can't even remember all the times we've had to wait on _you,_" added Ron clearly making a point.

Harry let out a sad sigh, knowing that he was wrong.

"Sorry, guys. I know it's not your fault. But I've never seen anyone come up to you as much as I have today."

"Well," said Ron as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly, "that's because we're always with you. When we're alone it happens from time to time."

Harry flinched at the implication of that. Who'd want to talk to the sidekicks when the main hero was there?

"Today's your birthday, Harry," reminded Hermione. "Of course we'd get more attention today, especially with you 'not here.' Many people simply want it passed on that they wish you well."

"What _I_ wish for _my_ birthday is that they keep it to themselves and leave us in peace," he grumbled.

The look of annoyance that the two quickly shared was very clear. Before either could retort though, Ron's stomach let loose a loud rumble.

This broke the tension between the three and they all shared a laugh.

And with that, the three friends made their way to Florean Fortescue's _Ice Cream Parlour _to pig-out royally.

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><p>The sugar rush Harry was experiencing made him feel loads better. The well-wishers had tapered off and he and his friends were left to their own devices.<p>

The three laughed and joked as they enjoyed the sunny day. It was then that a loud, "Oi!"

ripped through the parlour and a beautiful red haired woman made her way to their table.

Harry's eyes lit up with joy as he gazed at the one person he didn't expect to see today, his Ginny.

"Gin!" exclaimed Harry as he leapt up to hug her.

"Huh?" Ginny asked as she stiffened under his embrace. "Who- Perce, did you shrink?"

Ron's laughter burst forth as Hermione hid her smile beneath her hand.

Harry looked up at Ginny sadly. "That was mean, Gin. Don't even you recognize me?"

His love stared at his face for a moment before the truth shown in her eyes.

Her surprised squeak made Ron bang on the table with joy.

It was then that Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously at her brother as she pushed Harry aside.

"_**YOU!**_ YOU DID THIS TO HIM!" she growled whipping out her wand, prepared to Bat-Bogey Hex him into next week.

"It was George! I swear!" yelped Ron as he quickly hid under the table at the sight of Ginny's wand.

"Ron's telling the truth, Ginny," sighed Hermione as she kicked her boyfriend away from her leg.

Ginny's temper seemed to calm hearing that. "You mean he finally pulled a prank?" she whispered in shock.

"He sure did!" grunted Ron a he got back into his seat. "So you better give him all the fires of hell when you see him!"

Ginny's evil smile came to life as she nodded her head. She understood that natural reaction had to be the way to go.

With Ginny calmed down, the three explained to her about the potion and their 'cousin' visiting from 'Ireland.'

"How come you're here, Gin? I thought you had to stay at the training camp the whole time," asked Harry as he went back to his ice cream.

"Well I do for the most part. But they give us a free hour for meals so I figured I could pop in quick and see you for a bit," she said sweetly to him.

"Does that mean I get a special birthday present?" he asked giving her the puppy dog look.

Ron's cough of_ 'hack-cousin'_ stopped their flirting cold.

_"Damn it! I forgot about that. If a reporter got wind of Harry Potter's girlfriend passionately kissing her cousin, they'd have a field day. Stupid potion. I haven't seen my girlfriend in a week and I can't even get a snog on my birthday! Can this day get any worse?"_ thought Harry as a silver lynx suddenly appeared on the table.

He _**had**_ to think it, didn't he?

"Sorry to interrupt your day, " Kingsley's Patronus said, "but an emergency meeting has been called. Get to the Ministry, pronto."

And with that, the silver animal dispersed.

The four looked at one another forlornly.

"I should be getting back anyway," sighed Ginny as she gave each of them a hug.

"Keep safe you two," she whispered to Harry and her brother as she let go and Disapparated.

Harry and Ron quickly said their goodbyes to Hermione and ran toward the Leaky Cauldron.

So much for the perfect day.

* * *

><p>When they got to the Ministry, the day went from bad to horrid. It took twenty minutes to get Harry through security.<p>

"Look, can't you just say he's with me and be done with?" asked Ron as Harry was interrogated about his business there. Since the war, the security at the Ministry had been beefed up considerably.

"Oh just let him through, Tim. That's clearly Percy Weasley," said one of the workers nonchalantly.

_"**FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM NOT PERCY!"**_ yelled Harry at the top of his lungs.

Ron was finally able to convince the idiots to contact Kingsley, though it still took a while to get the whole mess sorted out. Harry was positively red faced and livid by the time they reached the Aurors Office.

"All right everyone, settle down," said Kingsley as he called the meeting to order. He quickly made his way to the front of the room so he could address everyone. The other Aurors in the room settled down and turned their attention to their leader.

"It has been brought to our attention that a Death Eater named Gladious Fleet has been spotted on the north side of London. This man is rumored to have been present at the Battle of Hogwarts. Since the death of Voldemort, he has been steadily climbing within their dwindling ranks," addressed Kingsley firmly.

"The goal of today's mission is to capture and interrogate Mr. Fleet. We will need everyone on this mission; which is why the trainees have been called in as well," he said indicating to where Ron, Harry, and the others stood.

As people turned to look at the trainees the whispers started as to why Harry Potter wasn't there. Harry sighed while Ron gave him a reassuring smile.

Kingsley quickly picked on the confusion, "For those of you who are wondering where Mr. Potter is, he is the young gentleman in the back with the red hair."

The Minister pointed at Harry and continued, "Harry is testing a new product that Mr. George Weasley has been developing for the Auror Department. Be advised that this young man is in fact Harry Potter and he will look like this for the rest of the day. We don't need him being mistaken for a Death Eater, or to have his orders to his teammates ignored. Are there any questions?"

One man raised his hand and asked, "Why does he look like a Weasley?" Causing most of the Aurors to laugh.

Harry started grinding his teeth as Ron whispered to him, "At least he didn't say you looked like Percy."

"Does anyone have any relevant questions?" sighed Kingsley, clearly becoming annoyed.

No one had the guts to speak up after that.

"Good, you will now be broken up into teams. Most of you will be undercover checking out Fleet's last known location, while the rest of you will be checking out his brother's last known address. We want this man badly ladies and gentleman. Be careful and good luck."

With Kingsley's speech done, the team leaders called out for their groups and they were on their way.

* * *

><p>The light of the formally sunny day was fading over the horizon and Harry couldn't be happier. Any minute now, he'd be back to his old self and he could put this stupid day behind him.<p>

He and Ron were hovering on their brooms over the woods behind Fleet's brother's old farmhouse. They had been sent to scout the perimeter of the property while the other Aurors searched inside the house.

"You doing okay, mate?" asked Ron as they decided to fly over the far right field again.

"Yeah, it's just this whole stupid day, you know?"

Ron nodded as he looked away from Harry, "Well…we did have some fun, right? And you got to see Ginny… hopefully we'll be called back soon so we can make it home in time for your birthday dinner."

"True," he sighed watching the sky turn to night. "I just-"

A shadowy figure suddenly darted through the trees catching Harry's attention. "What the? Ron did you-" asked Harry as curses started flying out of nowhere. Ron and Harry dodged, but not quick enough to avoid them all. Ron's broom got nicked and it started bucking wildly. White light burst from Ron's wand as his Patronus flew off to get help. Harry bobbed and weaved as he sent curses back at their attacker. A slicing hex to Harry's left leg took him by surprise.

The deep wound caused him to yell out in pain and lose control of his broom. Harry couldn't adjust his trajectory and ended up slamming hard into the ground.

"Harry!" called Ron as steered his wild broom down to where Harry had fallen.

"I-I'm okay," gasped Harry as pushed himself up off the ground. A scream of pain bubbled in his chest as his leg collapsed underneath him.

"Harry, stay still," commanded Ron as he ran up to his fallen friend. "The others should be here any second."

"No, they won't boy," said a cold voice from the trees. "They're all indisposed of at the moment. My brother Saul took care of that."

"Protego!" yelled Ron as leaned over Harry's body. The stunning spell Gladious cast slammed into it hard.

"Ron, leave me," pleaded Harry as he sent a hex blindly into the woods.

"No way in hell," he growled in reply as he sent his own hex into the dark.

A crack of Apparition sounded next to the pair as Ron got kicked aside by a boot to the head.

Harry watched helplessly as Ron fell to the ground unconscious.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Harry as the burly man cast Expelliarmus at his hand.

Harry's wand flew off into the thick woods as the man hosted him up by the hair,"Gladious, this ain't Potter. It's just some kid."

"What? That can't be right, Saul. That Auror I tortured said he'd be on watch," replied the other man, who Harry could tell was Gladious Fleet from the pictures they were shown at the briefing.

"Answer me brat, where is Harry Potter?" asked the man holding him with a violent shake.

_"This was a trap,"_ thought Harry bitterly. _"Once again, Ron's gotten hurt because of me."_

"I am Harry Potter," he gasped, looking up at the man he assumed to be Gladious' brother, Saul.

"Bullshit!" Saul yelled as he slapped Harry hard across the face. "Now where's Potter! Tell us where Potter is or I'll kill your friend!"

The brute then pointed his wand down at the slowly stirring form of Ron.

"You blind and dumb?" Harry yelled frantically, fear filling his entire being. "You have me. Now let him go!"

"Potter ain't no ginger," growled Saul as Gladious came up to them, "everyone knows that."

Harry's eyes went wide in shock. It was night, why the hell hadn't he changed back? The potion was only supposed to last one day!

"Hang on, Saul," said Gladious as he cast a revealing charm on Harry. "Nope, thought maybe he was Polyjuiced or something, it ain't him."

"Too bad, kid. Cause that means you're both dead," said Saul as he raised his wand.

"I _am_ Harry! Please, you have to-"

"H-Harry isn't here," gasped Ron as he came aware of what was going on. "He was given the d-day off. B-birthday and all you know-"

_"Ron, what the hell are you doing?"_ thought Harry as he fought Saul's iron grip.

"I-I'm Ron…Weasley. H-H-Harry's b-best friend, t-take me a-as you p-prisoner. He'll c-come for me…just let the other… g-guy go," stuttered Ron, looking blurredly up at Gladious and Saul.

Gladious got up and examined Ron closely, "Yes, yes he is that Weasley brat that hangs around with Potter. He'll definitely come for him."

"Stupefy!" yelled Gladious as Ron hit the ground for a second time. The man then hoisted Ron up on his back and called to his brother, "Leave the other kid alive, Saul. He can give Potter our message."

"Please, you don't understand!" screeched Harry desperately as Saul dropped his head and went over to his brother's side.

Harry crawled on his hands and knees toward them. He would _not_ let them take Ron in his place.

"Tell Potter, if he ever wants to see his friend alive again, to bring the Elder Wand to 401 Berty Street outside of Hogmeade at midnight tonight. If he tries any funny business, his friend dies. Clear?"

"NO! Take _me_!" he cried as they prepared a Portkey. "_PLEASE_, TAKE ME!"

"**_You?_**" snorted Saul as he grabbed his brother's shoulder, "As if you're worth _anything_ compared to Harry Potter."

And with that, the two disappeared with Ron.

"Ron…." whispered Harry as terror shook him to his core.

_"They took him because of me,"_ thought Harry as he screamed out in agony,

"NO! BRING HIM BACK! _RON!_"

But the night gave no reply.

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED…<p>

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: I always have to make it dramatic don't I? BWHAHAHA! Evil cliffhanger! I've decided to put the last part up on Friday, July 8th, but I might put it up earlier. Hehehee! Have a fun July 4th weekend everybody! Please remember to read and review!<p> 


	3. The Heart of the Matter

Disclaimer: "Well guys I've decided to put the last chapter up early."

"Are you, ready?"

"Yeah!"

"I said are you ready?"

"YEAH!"

"I own nothing. Let's finish this!"

* * *

><p><strong>-The Heart of the Matter-<strong>

* * *

><p>-Harry's POV-<p>

Hermione sat watching Harry as he paced back and forth on his newly healed leg. The rest of the Weasleys were off trying to contact Ginny and Charlie about Ron's kidnapping.

"Harry, you need to calm down. Kingsley will be here soon and we'll be able to figure out how to save Ron."

"Calm down?" snapped Harry incredulously. "Those two maniacs have Ron and they'll kill him if I don't give them the Elder Wand in two hours!"

A nurse at St. Mungo's quietly reprimanded him and continued her way down the hall.

With a laboring sigh, Harry sat down next to Hermione. "How on earth can you be so calm? I thought you'd be in a worse state than me."

A small smile appeared on Hermione's lips as she patted his hand. "One of us has to keep focused right now. If you can't, then it has to be me."

Shame filled Harry's being as he quickly looked away. "I'm sorry. I really don't know why this is affecting me so badly. I mean, we have been in similar situations before but…" his voice just trailed off, leaving the sentence to hang in the air.

"It might help if you told me everything that happened from the beginning," she suggested softly. Those words caused Harry's emotional dam to brake free and pour out the events that led to Ron's capture.

"I was absolutely useless, Hermione!" he exclaimed at the finish of his story.

Once again, he leapt to his feet and started pacing the floor nervously. "Ron sent out his Patronus to get help. I didn't even think of that. I got hurt almost immediately after the ambush and Ron had to save my arse again. "

"You and Ron are only trainees. You can't-"

But Harry wouldn't let her interrupt his rant, "Then, _then, _the one thing I'm good for, being the bargaining chip, I can't be! Ron had to go trade his life for mine, because they didn't want _me. _They wanted Harry _-bleeding-_ Potter. "

Tears leaked from his eyes as his anger began to drain way, leaving behind a broken, empty husk. "This whole day, I've felt so alienated from you and Ron. Everyone wanted to talk to both of you and…and all I wanted was to be seen there with you. For all of us to be viewed as equals, instead of being pushed aside like I was worth - nothing. Even Saul said I was nothing, because I wasn't Harry Potter."

He paused as the full weight of the day hit him, "I _wanted this _Hermione, and now my selfishness might cost Ron his life."

The violent shiver that enveloped Hermione scared Harry for a moment. Suddenly, she leapt from her seat, engulfing him in one of her bone-crushing hugs. He immediately returned it, feeling as if they were clinging to one another in a sea of chaos.

After a few minutes, Hermione pulled away from Harry, frantically wiping her tears.

"Sorry," she said hoarsely, "but when you said that, you looked and sounded so much like Ron, I just-"

Hermione couldn't finish as she turned away to collect herself.

Her words stunned him. It was like a revelation, everything was instantly clear.

He was feeling the way that Ron felt everyday. Suddenly, Ron's actions during 4th year, why he left the tent… everything; it all finally made sense. His need to shine, to be seen as special, Ron wanted to be as great as his friends and family. But Ron was so much more than their equal. Ron was their drive, their light, and without him, it was _them_ that were nothing.

The Locket had revealed all of Ron's sadness and pain to Harry before. But later, after Voldemort was dead, he never had the guts to ask Ron _why _he thought that way about himself. Harry understood now.

"_Forgive me Ron, I couldn't see it," _thought Harry as he spotted Kingsley, George, and Dedalus Diggle racing down the hall toward them.

Kingsley took them all to a private room and started to explain what had happened. An ambush had been set up within the farmhouse. The second all the Aurors were inside, it was flooded with a sleeping potion in the form of a gas. The charms on the house prevented any alarm from being raised. Gladious got the drop on the other guards before they could send word for help. Gladious was clearly the brains of the operation, while Saul was the brawn.

As to how he knew about the Elder Wand, it was speculated that Gladious was hiding close to where Harry's final showdown with Voldemort happened. He must have overheard the two talking about the wand and fled with the information. Capturing Gladious was imperative now. If word got out about Harry having the Elder Wand; he would be in constant danger.

"Okay, so I bring the wand to his hideout. While I distract them, someone hides under my Cloak and finds Ron. Once he's released, I take out the brothers, simple," said Harry as his resolve strengthened.

"No can do Harry," responded George. "You're still under the affects of the potion."

"No kidding," he said gesturing to himself. "I thought you said I'd only be like this for a day. It should wear off by midnight, right?"

George went a bit green before replying, "I meant a 24 _hour_ day, Harry. You won't be back to normal until around 9 a.m. tomorrow, when you first applied the potion."

"Well…I guess I could Polyjuice into myself then-"

"That won't work either. The potion won't allow itself to be changed," explained George.

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?" exploded Harry, having reached his wits' end.

"I don't know! Don't you think I'm stressed enough knowing that my prank might get Ron killed!" yelled George in retaliation.

At this point, Kingsley intervened. "Enough! Get it together or neither of you are going to be involved in this mission."

Both men looked ashamed. "George, this is not your fault and you couldn't have known this would happen. Though, adding an emergency reversal system to the potion may be wise. Harry, you don't have to be the one to distract them this time."

"But the Elder Wand-"

"Doesn't need to be _used_," explained Kingsley as he gestured over to Dedalus Diggle standing behind him. "Dedalus has agreed to take the Polyjuice potion and become you. He will take the wand and keep them busy, while you sneak in with Invisibility Cloak and find Ron. Once you have him, Portkey out of there and we'll storm the place."

"Glad to be of service to you again, Harry," said Dedalus as he shook the teen's hand with enthusiasm.

Somehow, Harry got the feeling this wasn't going to go as planned.

* * *

><p>The preparations were quickly made and the time had come. Dedalus drank the Polyjuice potion and took the Elder Wand in his hand. Harry flipped the Cloak over his shoulders and followed closely behind. It had taken a lot of convincing to make the Weasleys wait on the sidelines for this, but Kingsley had eventually made them see reason.<p>

The second Dedalus stepped over the threshold, the plan started to fall apart. A large plant grew rapidly over the doorway, blocking the entrance completely.

"_Shit,"_ thought Harry as he quickly changed tactics and ran around the house looking for another means of entry.

"Backdoor, perfect," he whispered to himself and used Alohomora to unlock the door. He dove in before the plant could cover the entire building. Harry slowly crept up the stairway. He let the sound of Gladious' pompous voice be his guide. The crack of the closed door ahead of him shined brightly in the dark house. He peered through the slit into the living room. There he saw Dedalus, still Polyjuiced as Harry struggling to get free of the plant holding him.

"Release me you fools! Or you shall face the wrath of the great Harry Potter," said Dedalus-Harry with a self-righteous air.

"You are in no position to make demands, boy," replied Gladious smugly as he played with the Elder Wand in his hands. "We've got you're little friend here. So I wouldn't try anything funny."

Harry quickly glanced over to where the man had gestured. Ron was tied to a wooden table with big black ropes. His friend gave no struggle against his bonds, which made Harry worried. Saul stood over Ron, watching him very closely.

"You have what you desire, now release my friend," said Dedalus-Harry as the plant wound tighter around him.

"Oh I don't think so Potter. You killed my Lord and Master and for that you must be severely punished," hissed Gladious cruelly as he gestured to Saul. His burly brother then raised his wand over Ron with an evil grin.

"I'm going to torture your friend and kill him before your eyes. And then as you _beg_ for release, I will kill you; thereby becoming the Master of the Elder Wand and the most powerful wizard in the world!" laughed Gladious with murder in his eyes. He then motioned for Saul to start.

"_Double shit!"_ thought Harry as he quickly grabbed the small pouch of Peruvian Darkness powder that George gave him before he left.

He then cracked open the door and threw it in. The room was immediately filled with darkness and Harry cautiously made his way toward where he had seen Ron with Saul.

As Saul and Gladious tried to get rid of the substance, Dedalus-Harry called out, "Ha! You are no match for my power mortals! You have fallen into my trap. Fear me, for I am the great Harry Potter!"

Harry made a mental note to punch Dedalus later as he placed a hand onto Ron's shoulder. His friend immediately stiffened under his touch. Ron, always the strategist, had been playing possum until he came up with a plan. Harry smiled to himself as he used the cutting spell to loosen Ron's bonds.

Just as he freed Ron's arms and torso, Saul was back, ready to strike Ron with a curse. But before Harry could react, Ron sat up and grabbed the man's wand arm, redirecting his spell up to the ceiling. Rubble came crashing down as Gladious turned toward the sound. The second Harry was done cutting the rest of Ron free; he yelled "Stupefy!" and Gladious fell to the floor unconscious.

Saul, seeing his brother fall, fought Ron harder as the two tumbled to the floor. Harry quickly hit Saul with one last curse, removed his Cloak, and rushed to check on Ron.

"You okay?" he asked, helping Ron sit up.

"Yeah, no worries. All he bruised was my brain," joked Ron as he tried to shake off the affects of the concussion he received earlier in the day.

After hearing he was alright, Harry fell to his knees and hugged him.

"You really scared me that time, brother," he whispered into Ron's shoulder. "It should have been me."

Harry felt Ron return the hug as he replied, "Not this time Harry. We both would have been dead if I hadn't gone with him. I knew they needed a messenger, so you were safe. It was just my turn to be taken. And I'd gladly do it again, brother."

"Thanks, Ron," said Harry as he pulled back embarrassed. He could feel his whole face becoming hot and since he still looked like a Weasley, it was most likely beet red.

Ron laughed, pointing at Harry's face, "Finally you know my pain! How does it feel to finally be a Weasley?"

"Excellent. Because I have a brother like you," said Harry genuinely as he helped Ron stand.

Ron turned the same color red as he glared at Harry, "You are turning into a big old sap, mate."

Harry just chuckled at him as Ron leaned against his side for support.

For a moment, Harry stopped to really look at his friend, feeling that he had to say something about what he learned that day.

"Ron," he said hesitantly, "A-about day… and well _everything_….I-uh…just wanted to say… well-"

"I get it Harry," chuckled Ron lightly. "You don't have to say anything."

"But I-"

"Nope! You didn't make me say it and I'm not going to let you either."

Harry smiled as he thought back to their awkward moment after the First Task.

"So anyway," sighed Ron, clearly trying to change the mushy subject, "now that you are officially a Weasley, my dear brother. You know what that means, right?"

"What?"

"That you must now get George back with a prank of your own; it's tradition!"

All the previous tension flowed out of Harry as he and Ron shared a good laugh.

The mournful call of "Uh, boys… Could you please get this plant to release me now?" from the helpless Dedalus simply heightened their good mood.

* * *

><p><strong>-Several Days Later-<strong>

George Weasley stormed out of his shop with vengeance on his mind. _No one_ turned his beautiful ginger locks _**lime green**_ and got away with it! Potter and Ronniekins were going to pay.

The King of Pranksters was back baby.

* * *

><p><strong>-THE END-<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Wow, I'm really proud of this one. Thank to everyone who reviewed. Hope everyone liked it! I'll be starting my next Harry Potter story soon. This one is called Depth of a Heart. It's going to be a collection of short stories that take place during Deathly Hallows. It will be in Ron's perspective and will explore events that were mentioned or could have happened in the context of the book. Also I have a few new ideas for Ministry Misadventures so it will be updated with a new story eventually.

Well that's it for now. Please remember to read and review!


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